Day 4 was our day off from painting the houses and so it was filled with some new opportunities to serve as well as take time to have some fun as a team. The day began with breakfast and our morning worship with the ReCreation staff. It has been great to watch your kids embrace the schedule of getting up in the morning and starting our day with singing songs and a morning devotional. They have become huge participants and really use it as a time to prepare for the day.
After worship, the team headed out for a local nursing home called the Brian Center. Your kids had the opportunity to spend time visiting with many of the residents as well as serve the staff by cleaning certain parts of the building. It was inspiring to watch everyone break out of their comfort zone and begin conversations with the residents that were itching to have people come and spend time with them. At the end of our time at the Brian Center the activities director, Gail, was overwhelmed to the point of tears with gratitude for all that your kids did to serve their center. She could not stop thanking us for giving up our time to love and serve a group of people that is often forgotten and unloved. God used the team to touch many lives through conversations, hard work, playing piano, playing checkers, and singing songs.
After eating lunch at the Brian Center, the team headed into downtown Asheville to go to a pizza and movie restaurant. It was really fun for the team to get some down time to just relax, watch some claymation Pirates (the movie was title "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"), and eat some delicious pizza. It was an important time of re-charging as we gear up to finish our painting projects at our work sites on Thursday and Friday.
The day ended with our normal porch time gathering back at our housing site. Each night the time of sharing where we saw Jesus has progressively gotten longer as your kids have learned to put on spiritual lenses and really see God working in the world. Luke spoke tonight about why our faith always makes more sense when we are on a mission trip in North Carolina. He used the Ephesians 6:10-18 passage to describe the tension we all have between the physical and spiritual dimensions that are present together in this world. He spoke about the need to have a balanced perspective between a focus on the physical world around us and the spiritual dimensions that are present as well. Day 4 was filled with many memorably moments in which your kids really experienced the Spirit working through them and in them!
Also, don't forget that our deacon of student ministries, Wrenn holland, is leading atone of prayer for our trip tonight (7/12) at 7pm up in Moog Hall.
God Bless,
The SM Staff Team
